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No matter what changes in Hollywood and the economy Woody Allen will continue making a movie a year and big name actors will continue to flock to his projects. That’s the obvious lesson to be learned from the news, reported by Variety, that Nicole Kidman has joined the already impressive ensemble for the Woodman’s next flick, about which virtually nothing is known.

Already signed on for the film, to be shot in London this summer, are Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto and Naomi Watts. It will be produced by Mediapro, the Spanish company that helped the American funding challenged Allen make Vicky Cristina Barcelona. As usual, Woody’s sister Letty Aronson is on board to produce, joined by staple Steve Tenenbaum and Jaume Roures.

The film doesn’t have a title, or a known genre, or known subject matter. So all that’s left to do is hope that, in the vein of recent Allen fare, it will hew closer to Match Point than Cassandra’s Dream. Either way, the cast (particularly the Zorro reunion of Banderas and Hopkins) seems promising, all the more so if the filmmaker can coax Kidman out of her recent acting shell.

The movie should benefit from Allen’s increasing familiarity with London, as this is the fourth movie he’ll have shot there. There’s also no doubt that Allen remains a preeminent chronicler of the peculiarities of the human condition.

How do you feel about this latest bit of casting news?